Mike Tomlin: Dennis Dixon could still win Steelers' starting QB job

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he has not closed the door to Dennis Dixon potentially winning the team's starting QB job at the start of the season.

Dixon is competing with Byron Leftwich for the job that will be open when normal starter Ben Roethlisberger serves his 4-6 game suspension at the start of the season.

He went 6-for-7 with 128 passing yards and a TD pass plus 31 yards rushing in the team's first preseason game. Although the veteran Leftwich was thought to enter camp with an edge, Tomlin said Dixon will have an opportunity to impress the coaches.

"He's got to take the job if he's going to take it," Tomlin told NFL Network. "He's doing a nice job thus far, and we're going to continue to give him opportunities to do that."

Dixon started one game for the Steelers in relief of Roethlisberger last season. Tomlin said he wants to see much more him the third-year QB.

Dixon, he said, is "going to require more practice reps and game reps than the others to show what he's capable of and to develop his skills."

Tomlin said Roethlisberger will play on Saturday against the New York Giants, but he didn't say if the snaps will come with the first team.

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About Nate Davis

Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate